Six months ago, I was asked by the moderator of a discussiongroup with a large membership to share some words of wisdom onhow I got started online. She wanted me to share them with thegroup's eZine with 20,000 subscribers.

It gave me a chance to reflect on my experience in developing andstarting my own Internet Business and Web Site. It took me almost7 months of study and research to formulate my business plan andimplement the business model so I have a lot to share.I thoughtit would be appropriate to share it in this eZine. After all, itis dedicated to helping beginner Internet entrepreneurs getstarted with an online business - and sooner or later, be theirown boss!

I asked myself: "If I can boil down what I've learned in the last7 months, what lessons have I learned as keys to starting my ownInternet venture?" Here's are the 5 KEY ANSWERS I came up with.

1. Discover and Seek Your PASSION

I found that this is the first and most important key. Your passion is the wellspring from which your energy and enthu- siasm comes from. If you love what you do and do what you love then you're doing what I call "pure joy of work". It's not even "work" anymore, it becomes a way of life - it's what the author and speaker Jim Rohn calls "The Art ofLiving".

Some of you might have heard or even read the book "Do what you Love.The Money will Follow". I agree with that statement. You have to be passionate about what you do.People will notice your passion (or lack of it) in your business or chosen endeavor. Once people discern this passion, they will follow you and they will buy your ideas, goods and services.

I've known for a while that I'm passionate about being my own boss, being self-employed.I have been an employee, an employer and self-employed. Nothing beats self-employment, in my own opinion. It hits you like a "bug" when you "catch" it - the BYOB (Be Your Own Boss) Bug. I am also passionate about know- ledge and learning especially with the Internet making it even easier to access any information anywhere in the world. Having discovered this early on, I started a web site devoted to helping people learn how to become their own boss --- using the most powerful means of communication known to humanity ­ The Internet.

Thus, http://www.SuccessAccess.com "The Newbie Netpreneur's FIRST ACCESS to Net Success" was born.

2. Gain KNOWLEDGE and Be a STUDENT of the Net

In any trade or profession, you must gain the knowledge to achieve a certain level of competence. To become an expert in your chosen profession, more knowledge and experience are required.Treat your Internet Business as a Professional Career whether you're doing it part-time or full-time. For you to become a professional, you have to be a student of your chosen profession first.

Learn everything you can about your product & services, your target market and the Internet as a whole. Be a perpetual student who continually learns and incessantly applies what you have learned along the way. I call it "kinesthetic learning" - Learning by Doing. Keep acquiring, keep applying and keep testing your knowledge. Turn knowledge into informa- tion....then turn information into communication. The best place to do this is the Internet.

3. Find Mentors- Get H.O.P.E.(Help from Other People's Expertise)

Have you ever heard of the saying "don't re-invent the wheel"? Sure you have. Somehow, somewhere ­ someone has already figured out a way to succeed in the venture you're getting into. Why not follow his/her proven recipe for success and apply it to your own situation.

The shortcut to success is through Mentorship. In the area of Internet Marketing, there are already those who have found ways to be successful....even though the Net is still new and there's still a lot to learn. Find these successful Online Marketers and model their formula for success. Seek out these Webmasters. You'd be surprised to find out how generous they are with their advice.

It' easy to follow their footsteps. Check their web sites, read their books and study their courses. Most of these experts publish FREE newsletters where you can learn tons of golden nuggets of information every week. I even found a few of them who offer e-mail and phone consultation when you obtain their books and courses. I will reveal who these Masters are & what I learned from them in a future article. If you can't wait, send mailto:WebMaster@SuccessAccess.com?subject=Mentors_WPN

4. Share Your EXPERTISE

Dr. Stephen Covey, author of the "7 Habits of Highly Effective People", wrote that the best way to learn principles is to teach others.

Teach others and you'll be better at it each time you do it. The more you SHARE and teach, the more of an expert you become. The more you become an expert, the more you improve your credibility. When you share your expertise (what you're PASSIONATE about), you will not only build your credibility. It will also help you develop your knowledge and skills and help your business grow. Thus, it will help your earnings.

It's a positive feedback loop:

LEARN --- SHARE / EARN

5. Get Started NOW!

A sense of urgency is the mark of a successful person. There is no better time to START than NOW ­ TODAY!

All winners think of one day ­ TODAY! Think of today & everyday as the beginning of the rest of your life. Whatever Internet business you want to start, START NOW. Whatever task you need to do to get started, DO IT TODAY. Be it learning Internet Marketing, studying search engine positioning, email marketing or creating a web site.. whatever it is, it doesn't matter. Just Get Started!

My advice to beginners: List the 5-10 things you love to share ordo. Narrow it down to the one or two you're most passionate ormost motivated about. Then start learning more about it, findmentors to help you and finally, share it to the world. The bestplace to do it is on the Internet.

If it's true that SUCCESS is the progressive realization of aworthy ideal, then when you start today, you already are aSUCCESS.

I wish you the best of success!

About the Author

Joel Christopher, is the Publisher of "Access-2-Success eZine",a weekly eZine dedicated to provide Beginner InternetEntrepreneurs a step-by-step guide on how to start, growand expand your own online business venture.http://www.SuccessAccess.commailto:WebMaster@SuccessAccess.com?Subject=subscribe-WPN